Haunting
by kalidescopedisaster
Summary: There's always that house. The house that you don't ever want to look at because something might be looking back. AU
1. Part 1

It was the early hours of Halloween, puffs of warm air released from the young kids' mouths turned into smoke. The warm and bubbly sound of laughter filled the cold and empty streets of a small town. An empty beer can left the grasp of a young blonde girl in a letterman jacket, frayed denim shorts, and doubled up flesh-colored stockings to keep the cold from nipping at her. Cigarettes were passed from the pocket of a kid with a beanie to a boy in a letterman jacket and the boy with premature gray hair. The only girl stole one as the blonde-haired beanie boy put it back in his pocket.

He gave her a look but she just smiled and said, "Anyone got a light?" The wild curly haired boy in the school jacket flicked open his lighter and the four of them ignited the end.

"So who do you think is going to complain the most that we asked them to hang so late?" Shin asked quietly.

The girl looked down her phone and laughed. "Money's on Rei." She showed them the screen of her phone. "She's already complaining that she actually went to sleep on time and then—quote—'you four trouble-makers start texting my phone like there's a fire. How did any of you actually get my phone number?'"

"I got it from Mina." The blonde said and the brunette nodded.

"As did I." Shin remarked and then sighed. "How _did_ you get it?"

Mina turned with a bright smile. "I got it from her records, obviously. It's a long boring story and I'd rather not share it."

"Because obviously, you broke into the registrar's office and read through records. Probably not just hers but all of ours. She is nosy after all."

"Well, I guess it wasn't that long." Mina shrugged. The boys began to mutter about her ability to make the most mundane story to a two-part epic starring herself as the tortured heroine, for which she hit all of them for.

A voice suddenly joined them. "You know, you're lucky I was up but this does take valuable study time and it took up even more time to find where you guys were. So I hacked into Nathan's phone and found his location." Nathan, took the girl's pause as a chance to look at his phone. "Mina, why isn't your phone's location on?"

"Because my mom checks on me that way. Obviously, I had to fix that." Mina said with a shrug and returned back to her phone. The other girl simply nodded and walked quietly beside her. The new girl's shoulders were curved into herself. Her hands slid upon one another as she tried to create heat.

"I like the cold but…" She mumbled. "But this is a little too much."

"You should've worn a jacket." The unruly brunette boy said after the smoke of his cigarette had streamed out from his pursed lips.

The girl laughed. "Yes, it's obvious now. I should have checked the weather." Her head bobbed as she stared at the ground.

"Lighten up, Ami." Mina bumped her shoulder. Ami looked up with a semi-smile. "He was just making conversation. You didn't do anything wrong." Then the blonde flashed another toothy smile and grabbed a hold of Ami's hand. Ami, again, nodded to the ground.

There were a few moments of quiet. They looked back to the light screens as if they had lost all interest in one another. Ami was the one who looked up from the device the most, her features clinched. She was anxious for someone who she was more comfortable with to come. And he entered the moment it seemed she was going to resign and return to her studies.

He was taller than the blonde boy with the knitted hat but not as tall as the other two boys. His eyes a brilliant blue underneath his midnight hair. One would probably expect them to look malevolent or disgusted. They were soft yet serious like the ocean in a storm. His smile never widened enough to expose his teeth but he greeted them in good nature.

"Hello everyone. Thank you for the directions, Shin. I was very lost." He broke his sentence to cough. "I don't come out at night often." The gray-haired boy nodded returning the same closed smile.

"How ya doin', Chiba?" Mina's fake casualness etched her smile a little too tight and her eyes too narrow. "Didn't know you were coming?"

"That's funny because I didn't know you'd be here." He gave a pointed look to the other boys. He and Mina both nodded. They both forced a smile when they regained eye-contact.

"So after all that bottled up hatred spilling last month. This is what we get?" The athletic boy wrapped his arms around their necks. This forced the two. "You two pretending to be cool with each other?"

Mina scoffed. "Pfft…why would we need to pretend?"

"For…_Bunny_." A new voice emphasized and a girl with a dark green baseball cap, the voice's owner, entered. Her ponytail continuing to sway as she walked over to the three that were presently talking. She wore a simple green sweater and a beat-up leather jacket over that. Her jeans came up too high on her ankles, for she did not have the resources to keep up with her ever-growing body. However, she covered the gap with thick socks and knee high boots that matched the brown in her jacket. While one hand was in her jacket, her other bare hand was attached to light pink gloves. A girl with long pigtails, dressed from head to toe in pink, had both her gloved hands wrapped around the other girl's.

"Wait, what? What's going on?" Bunny yelled but it was lost in Mamoru's words.

"Why would I do anything for that hare-brained brat? If I honestly didn't like Mina, I wouldn't pretend for her sake." His voice peaked for the first time since he entered. The blonde boy snickered at the boy's unintentional pun.

"Because you," Mina whispered, "Like her."

His arms moved indignantly to make the girl move away from him.

"What? Ugh. Never." He groaned. His flushing cheeks gave away his embarrassment. His arms crossed over his slim torso.

"Very refined, Mamoru." A girl with dark hair entered from the dark overhang of a tree as she had been leaning on the side of the building for a few moments. She stood with her hands in the leather pockets of her black jacket.

"Where do you even come from?" The knit-capped boy muttered as he flicked his cigarette bud. His eyes followed the direction of the bud rather than meet the pair of violet eyes. However, he had stopped slumping and turned when her voice broke the silence among their peers.

"Over there, Jay." Her arm waved back to the place where she first stood. Jay's body moved back to its former state as she walked briskly to the three other girls. Her steps were very measured but effortless as she walked over in pumps. A girl her age with less experience would have made endless scraping and clattering as she walked but her heels only made a small tap on the asphalt.

"I thought you were right behind us." The girl in all pink asked.

"I was but I just _had_ to watch the unfolding scene." The girl pressed her dark gloves to the red cable knit covering her torso. "I didn't want to interrupt. I thought we'd finally get a confession." Mamoru rolled his eyes and scoffed. The pink from his cheeks had yet to fade.

"EW, REI!" The long pigtailed girl cried. "WE'RE SWORN ENEMIES." Ami and the girl in a cap chuckled at this.

"Sworn enemies, huh?" The male athlete asked.

Bunny nodded vigorously. "Ever since the day he teased me about my grades, Mamoru has been my ultimate foe. My final boss. My…"

"Love interest?" Rei offered with a smirk. Bunny stamped her foot and groaned.

"I'm glad to know I have so much power in your life. I'm a final boss? An ultimate foe? And here, I just thought you were some sort of constant nuisance in my life." Although his words were a bit heartless, Mamoru was grinning.

Mina laughed. "It's ridiculous how much they claim to hate each other when really," She whispered her next line but the group was still in earshot. "They want to bang each other senseless." The girls parted from Mina almost instantaneously. A few wide-eyed looks from the group and heads shaking. Others just groaned her name for being so crude.

Shin seeing the red in Mamoru's cheeks finally spoke up. "Mina, god, be quiet for once." The gray-haired boy said addressing the athlete.

She simply shined her charismatic smile to him as she stole the beer from his hands. "Why should I?"

He sighed as if he couldn't muster the energy to entertain her ignorance and the fact that she stole his beer wasn't helping their on-again-off-again relationship. Bunny and Mamoru stood behind the two. They weren't quite touching but they were close enough for the causal brush. The nerd in the dress and cardigan simply rolled her eyes at the group's fuss over the two. The intimidating brunette with the cap looked to Bunny and rolled her eyes whispering the word, typical, about their friend Mina. Which made Bunny relax a little and laugh. Ami combed her short hair behind her ears and meekly spoke up to change the subject.

"Well, as fitting as it is, we are about a block away from that haunted house, that I assume of course, that everyone is talking about. And it is _technically_ Halloween." Suddenly, the peppy girl's toothy smile left her face.

"What even makes that place haunted?" The girl with a cap inquired.

The dark haired girl spoke up. Judging by the smile on her face, this was her expertise. "According to the old papers I found, there was a homicide/suicide in the house. The man who lived in the house was in love with a woman while he had a wife. So his wife was angry and threw a grand party then killed everyone at the party."

"Shit. Don't mess with her." The male athlete said.

Mina waved her hands. "Except she's wrong, local legend says that the owner of the house fell in love with a witch. So, her coven crashed this party the wife was throwing and basically had a smack down in an old timey way. And then the wife goes and grabs a knife and goes to kill the woman her hubby's been messing around with. Except boom her husband cuts in front of her and dies for his lady on the side."

"The way you tell it is so crude." The girl interjected.

"Whatever. Then basically the coven and the party guests get into this giant fight with knives and wands and then boom everyone was dead. So there's this reason why a big negative energy would be trapped there. And kids around here say that they see a woman's figure walk around the house." She paused. "Those who went in…AND LIVED." A few chuckles occurred but mostly looks of disbelief were delivered to the girl's direction.

"Oh yeah. My brother went into that house." Jay said with a shrug. "He said that it was pretty boring but he did almost die.'  
Mina and Rei nodded with grins to their ears. "Yeah, how?" They said simultaneously.

"Well, first of all could you not look so excited about the fact that my brother almost died?" They both sighed and tried to go back to blank faces. "Second, it was mundane. He fell through some weak wood and was stuck in a hole in the ground. My mother had to go and pick him and his friends up." Jay began to smile. "Keep in mind, this kid's in college, so really funny that Mom had to go and—"

"Ugh. Whatever. So boring." Mina groaned.

Rei said to where only Jay could hear. "The fact that your brother was picked up by his mother at an age where he is supposed to be taking care of himself is quite humorous." His face was stained pink after her hushed tone dissolved in the air. Then she turned her back and joined the group of girls, once more.

"Can we not play this childish game?" The gray-haired boy said with great boredom. "I don't want this to turn into some test of courage."

"Why? Because you're scared?" The athlete asked.

"Nathan, I do not fear anything. Especially something as childish as ghosts." Shin spoke to reclaim his nonchalance. "I was being generous because you all would lose to me in a test of courage." This comment was met with a symphony of scoffs.

"Although, I do agree that believing in ghosts is childish," Ami repeated and a smirk raised on her lips. "I do believe, Shin is scared."

"Traitor." He whispered.

"Ghosts are real. Spirits of all kind are real and gather in certain location." Rei's tone was serious and too still for the subject. It gave Bunny chills.

"Psycho Hino." The football player whispered. Although, he was at the top of the pyramid at school was not here. The intimidating girl turned around and punched him in the gut. "Jesus, Mako." Mako's ponytail swished back into place as she stood back to her place and cracked her knuckles.

"God just apologize, Nathan." A new voice said. He was greeted with a chorus of Zanders which he bowed to. Mako came over and put her arm around his shoulders.

"What?" Her eyes narrowed at him and Nathan turned quickly. "Sorry, Rei."

Rei rolled her eyes and replied flatly, "I told you, it's Miss Hino to you." The stoner almost spat his drink on her red shoes. He swallowed hard and began to laugh. "Anyway, we're off topic. Shin's scared of ghosts. Even though most ghosts are just confused at their state and lost."

"Oh is this what I missed?" Zander said to no one in particular but received several nods. "Is this why we're standing in the middle of a street? Because we're testing Shin's mettle or—?"

"Oh shush." Ami abruptly spoke in the middle of Zander's sentence. For which, he shoved her lightly on the shoulder.

Mamoru tapped Shin on shoulder causing the group to pause in the empty intersection. "I, Mamoru, dare you, Shin," He said with a great pause and a smile. "To prove all of us wrong and go inside the haunted house."

Nathan stepped up to help Mamoru. "Yeah. Please show us that ghosts don't really exist."

"Oh this is just childish." He said in annoyance.  
Mina jumped on his back and ruffled Shin's graying hair, "Well, gramps, you're still legally a child, so you're permitted to do childish things."

"So I'm going alone?" They all nodded. Mina more feverishly than the others. "Cowards."

Rei walked up to the intersection. "I'll go too."

"Because spirits are real and you can," Zander put air quotes around the following words. "See them."

"Are you doubting my abilities, Zander?" She snapped, her voice spiking over his name. Mako noted this was the first time her voice had changed pitch.

"I can pretend too! Look, I'll take the Rei Hino approach to seeing things!" Zander placed his forefingers on his temple and closed his eyes. Rei scoffed indignantly. "Over there!" He pointed to a small, white, hanging sign advertising a barber. "There's something!"

"Oh whatever." Mako nervously laughed through her statement.

"Are you going to go with us?" Rei asked Zander. "Prove me wrong, please."

"Fine! I will!" He narrowed his eyes at the young woman. Shin thought for a split second to ask if he was still going alone together. His _uncertainty of the situation_ made him decide otherwise.

"Why don't we all go?" Mina smiled. "Eh, Jay? We were talking about this place a few months ago. Why don't we all do it?"

Jay coughed, his smile disappearing. "…Ya sure, Mina? I don't know about that. I mean one of my brothers went in and he said…"

"And he fell through the roof, we all heard you." Nathan smiled. "What's the matter, Jay, you scared?"

Jay smirked. "Then you go in too."

"Shit no."

"What's the big deal, Nathan?"

"I leave the dead alone." Their smiles faded and a cold breeze blew at the back of Mamoru's neck. Although his face did not waiver while he vigorously rubbed the back of his neck to create heat again.

Mako stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Who all believes in ghosts? Raise your hands or something…I don't know." Rei extended her arm to display her unwavering belief in the supernatural. Jay's hand came up half-heartedly as did Mina's hand and her eyebrows with a smirk painted on her features. Nathan kept his arms crossed. Bunny raised her hand timidly as if the mere mention would bring the restless spirits out.

"Okay that's four out of ten. That means more than—" Mako's hand raised as her head lowered. "Half of us have a brain." Zander hissed.

Then, Mamoru's hand raised.

"Oh my god." The short-haired girl sighed. "You too? You think ghosts are real? Ghosts are simply your brain piecing together what you saw quickly. Since apparently your mind can't accept, something colored white in the corner of your eye or something rattling can't be the air conditioner or the heat."

"Believing in another presence doesn't mean you're foolish. Not believing is just _ignorant_." Rei emphasized as her raised hand crossed back over her torso.

Ami opened her mouth to retort but Mamoru interrupted before she could speak.

"Thanks Rei but Ami, no, listen." He whispered. The rest of the group moved into a huddle. "This happened a few times to me but there was this woman in all white and she would whisper things to me that I can't remember…anymore. Sometimes I would wake up and she was holding my hand or had her head resting at the foot of my bed. I think she liked watching me sleep…"

Just as the chills from the story came in, the barber sign clattered to the ground.


	2. Part 2

The location of the mansion was out of place compared to the rest of businesses and homes on the streets. The other locations were formed in different eras making the street some mismatched time capsule. None seem as old as the run-down Edwardian mansion where the group of adolescents stood. The once pale blue paint was now white and peeling off the rotten boards of the house. These boards seemed to be held by wide windows and the dark brick siding. The roof pointed up and rounded like the lower jagged teeth in an animal's mouth. The wooden planks of the stairs were held up by cinderblocks where the children stood. Each step held about two of them, give or take. None of them were brave enough to step on the porch yet. Not even the girl who bragged about seeing and knowing spirits. While she was on the first step with Shin, neither had moved to the cover of the large overhanging porch.

Many of their faces were painted with the same expression of nervousness and fear on their face. All except for Shin (who looked more annoyed than scared), Ami (who looked the same as Shin), Mina (who looked thrilled), and Rei (who was scowling).

"You just know places like this are haunted." Jay whispered. The sudden voice surprised Zander, he turned to find the voice. The children hadn't spoken since they left the empty street intersecting this one.

"It's exciting, isn't it?" Mina gleamed. "I'm a little skeptical about the supernatural. I want to see if it's real once and for all."

"Why does it have to be with all of us?" Bunny quivered. "This stuff really creeps me out."

Mamoru, the handsome but shy boy, smiled kindly to the brat. "I understand. We'll be here with you." He extended his hand to her and she looked at his hand then back up to him with a questioning look.

"Why are you being nice to me, Mamoru?"

"I was…I was just trying to be nice because you're scared. Jeez. You can do this on your own." He shoved his hand back in his pocket and looked away from her. His cheeks had returned to the pink state from earlier. When his head turned away, she smiled a little back to him and pulled his arm back to her.

"Thank you." She said with a small nod.

Mako lifted her cap and scratched the back of her head. "Y'know, it's two in the morning. We should probably get home. It's late and we've got…church?"

"Yes. Church." Nathan repeated a bit unsure of the statement.

"Oh since when do any of you go to church?" Rei scoffed. "Why is everyone suddenly scared? I thought ghosts weren't real. While I don't agree with the fact that we're disturbing spirits in this place they've come to claim their own—"

"REI AGREES. LET'S GO HOME." Jay said as he begins to walk off the porch. Mina grabbed the collar of his shirt, spun him around, and wagged her index finger.

"Ah-ah-ah." She said. "We're doing this. We said!" Jay tried several times to say something but Mina cut him off each time until he gave up. After he gave up, she turned to the rest of her group and stuck her hands back in her jacket. "Well! What are we waiting on? Let's move!"

Mina plunged from the bottom step to the top and finally breaking the invisible barrier between them and the house. The athlete ran to the door and grabbed the ornate, brass knob. Upon touch she instantly drew back and screamed. She grabbed her hand with a grim expression and placed it to her chest.

"MINA!" They all shouted and ran to the porch, tripping over one another to get there first. Panicked when they finally reached Mina, they breathing was heavy and through their mouths. Shin put his hand on her shoulder she turned to them with tears in her eyes. Her lip quivering and barely breathing.

"Just kidding!" She said with her signature smile and dropped her hand along with the act. They all groaned, their eyebrows lowered and their eyes narrowed. "It was cold so I kinda just went with it. Sorry! I couldn't resist!" Shin's hand dropped from her shoulder and ruffled the hair underneath Mina's red bow. She glared and combed through it quickly.

Nathan muttered. "She's going to die first." Jay, Mamoru, and Zander nodded.

"Are you chickens ready?" Mina said with her hands on her hip.

"Pfft…yeah…just open the door…" Nathan said trying to act nonchalant. Mako put her arm around his and nodded to Mina.

"Yes, let's see the big scary abandoned house." Ami rolled her eyes as she spoke. "Maybe we'll see some _spooky_ spider webs or maybe some scary _interior design_." Ami made small hand movements like a little zombie. Zander walked over to Ami and linked arms with her.

"I'm with Ami. Let's go see some scary architecture."

Bunny snuggled into Mamoru's arm and tried to hide her face. "I'm ready too. Let's get this over."

Rei clasped her hands together and muttered, "I apologize in advance for their lack of respect and disturbing your rest."

"CAN YOU NOT DO THAT? JESUS." Jay and Nathan said almost in unison. They wrapped their limbs around each other, Nathan dragging Makoto into the huddle.

"I had to do it. Maybe they'll go easy on us because of it." Rei said with a shrug. "I'm getting some strong vibes, so…" The children's eyes widened at her statement. A few grabbing for another's hand or some other sort of comfort. She walked to the door, twisted the door knob, and the door opened with its obligatory squeal. "Let's go then."

The group was all touching in some manner when they entered the door way. Much to their surprise, the inside of the home was lit and well preserved. The scarlet rug was set perfectly in the middle of the room where a gold and crystal chandelier hung over. The rug led up to a long staircase in the middle of the room. The walls were a bright cream with scarlet arbors decorating the paper. Several lamps were on including the two next to the grand couch. There was not a cobweb or mouse in sight.

"It's beautiful…but how?" Ami whispered.

"You know, my brother said that this place was run-down. He didn't say it look like a five-star bed and breakfast. I'm really confused." Jay muttered.

Zander muttered, "It's like someone…was just here…"

Shin walked back out to check the windows and walked back in. "How are all the lights on in here?" The large windows had half curtains. "How can it not be seen from the street? That doesn't make sense."

"This is how they remember it. Their spiritual force is strong." Rei said quietly.

"Stop saying things like that! You don't know." Nathan choked.

Rei narrowed her eyes, "Believe what you will, Stratfield."

"Ar-Are we just going to stand in the hallway? Let's explore." Mina's voice didn't have half the energy it had before.

"Famous last words." Jay whispered.

"It's really pretty in here." Bunny said. "I just want to take pictures in here. Good place for senior portraits. I'll have to tell my mom." Zander muttered about her type of people, photographers.

"Are you kidding?" Mamoru snapped. "This place screams terror. Something's waiting…"

Always one to see things for herself, Ami's head kept peaking in and out of the doorway. "But…the lights…" She turned to her friends. "There are no screens, I don't think." When she moved from the doorway to check the window, the door shut behind her and the lock twisted.

The ten exchanged looks of silent fear. The raven-haired girl looked to the doorway and squinted. She was now held back by the blonde in a beanie and the blonde athlete. Her orange nails digging in the black leather of Rei's jacket arm.

"You know, it's always cheesy in the movies but I almost pissed myself." Nathan's voice went hoarse midway through his comment.

"My opinion is changing quickly." Zander squeaked.

Ami sighed. "Oh it was the wind." She didn't sound completely certain with her explanation.

"So there is now wind inside the house. That's brilliant, Ami." Shin griped.

"Yes, Shin, if there is a window open somewhere." Shin sighed loudly but accepted this explanation for the sake of his sanity.

Mina rolled her eyes and grabbed the hands of Jay and Rei. Nathan followed behind, "Are you guys joking? We're splitting up? I guess we all want to die tonight."

"Shut up, you, big baby." Mina smiled deviously. "Let's go read the letters of the love affair. TO THE OFFICE!" Nathan sighed but continued following behind.

Rei sighed, "You are so disrespectful."

Thus leaving six. Ami was far away from the door and close to Zander and Shin. While Mako and Mamoru stood perpendicular to them. None of them were near the door or seemed to be leaving their spots any time soon except Bunny, who was already wondering away from the group.

With her nose stuck up in the air, she hummed in delight. She began to pick up pace and began walking away from the group. She was all but running to the dining room. Quickly, Mamoru and Mako reacted, picked up their feet, and chased after her.

Once the three arrived at the dining room, they were greeted by a large dark wood table decorated with a flower table cloth, no doubt sewn by the hands of the homeowner's wife. _The very same hands that ended her husband's life and the people at that party._ Makoto thought darkly. Her body shook once with chills. There were ten chairs at the table including the two on each short end. She moved beyond the table and placed a single finger on the fireplace parallel to the table and rubbed her fingers together.

"There's no dust." Mako laughed. "They sure are clean ghosts." Mamoru gave a nervous, half smile. Bunny waited a moment and sniffed a few times before she began to walk to the open room connected to the dining room.

"Mmm…" The scent of ginger and cinnamon hung in the air. Her eyes closed and a light smile on her face. Naïve Bunny followed the scent; she hummed as she walked into the kitchen.

Mako yelped. "Bunny!"

"Wait…we need to stay in a group!" Mamoru reasoned.

When Mamoru and Mako walked into the kitchen, there was an undeniable scent like someone was baking sweets in the oven. Bunny opened the oven to see that there was nothing baking. Disheartened, she closed the oven. The very same moment she closed it, smoke started billowing out of the oven.

"But there's nothing cooking?" Bunny said through coughs.

"Yes, this has been established." Mamoru choked.

"We've got to warn the others before this old place burns down." Makoto grabbed their hands. Her hands connected the three of them. They lowered their heads. Mamoru put his shirt over his face and Bunny followed suit. Mako squinted through the smoke as she trudged out of the kitchen. Finally returning to the dining room. They turned back and the smoke was gone. The sight of it and even the scent was completely gone. They raised their heads and loosened the grip on each other's hands.

The disbelievers huddled into another group. Zander, Ami, and Shin stayed in the gathering area. What was once a family room, was now a museum for beautiful furniture. A long scarlet couch decorated with gold diamonds. Two cream pillows laid lazily on either end of the couch. The scarlet couch's back was ornamented in wood arches. The back touching a large window and its grand gold drapes. The drapes' fabric long enough to touch the perfect dark cherry wood floor. The room was orderly, simply a couch and a few chairs. Another fireplace was the centerpiece in this room and its mantle decorated with small photographs which Zander was currently observing.

At first, he was simply admiring the frames. They were beautiful, after all, it wasn't the cheap frames hastily placed over snapshots that they use today. He touched the rim of a few. The first was of two men on horses about the same age despite one's light hair. Another with a sepia toned picture of a woman with bright hair tucked back into an elegant but simple bun and a hat pinned in her hair and a devious but attractive look. He took a double take at the last picture he touched and called for the other skeptics' attention.

Shin left the window hesitantly and Ami put down the book that was left on the side table near the couch. They nodded for him to begin.

"Look at this." His tone wavered and his hand shook as he plucked the picture off of the mantle. The picture was of a girl with long, dishwater colored hair. Her hair was in curls and tied over several times with small flowers adorned in her hair. Her face had a light smile, unusual for the time period and dressed in a pale white dress.

Zander's finger rested on the side of the woman's scratched out eyes.

"…Well that's creepy." Ami said simply.

In the next room, Rei, Nathan, and Jay hesitantly stood in the study with Mina leading the hunt. Full bookshelves to the ceiling decorated the wall behind the desk. A portrait of a young family with a young dark-haired son hung on the wall opposite of the window. The portrait was colored in brown and white. Nathan shook as the unsmiling family picture met his gaze. Jay stood with his back on a wall with his arms crossed, like the coward he was.

Rei grabbed a book that caught her attention from the bookshelf. Her eyes were glazed as she concentrated on her thoughts rather than the book. Something was different about this place. She could feel the pulsing energy of a strong spirit's dwelling but she couldn't find the source. She couldn't feel if their intent was because of malice or loneliness or their intent at all. She was unsettled in this house, although she'd never admit it. Her faith in her powers rocked with one simple illusion. This whole realm was smoke and mirrors, wasn't it?

Mina finally made it to her destination. Mina didn't care for privacy and she went straight for a drawer and begun to dig around. In the drawers of the mysterious homeowner, she was going to read all the lusty letters the homeowner and the witch exchanged. She opened a few but alas nothing important until she figured the deepest drawer was a little shallow. She pulled the fake bottom and found a few large stacks of letters. She cheered.

"Guys! I found them!" She cheered.

_He wouldn't be happy about that. That girl digging through his things_. The drawer shut with her hand in it.

She barely had time to move. She managed to get her forearm from the drawer but wasn't quick enough to move her wrist out of the drawer. Mina screamed and those in the room gave her a skeptical look.

Rei snapped. "Don't play around here. It's discourteous." Mina bit her lip as she tried to pull her hand out of the drawer but it was too tight to get out.

A stiff feeling fell on those who resided in the room. Their breathing was shallow. Their eyes wide. Although, they wouldn't pass up their disbelief.

"Stop playing around." Nathan said turning his back from the portrait. Mina bit her lip so hard that blood began to draw. Her wrist was turning red where the drawer kept rubbing her skin and she was losing circulation in her hand.

"I'm not. I swear to god. I'm not! I'm not! It hurts, god damn it, help me!" Mina cried. Tears never in her eyes but the desperation was thick in her voice. Jay and Nathan moved to help her. They jammed their thick fingers in the crack between the drawer and the rest of the desk. They both pulled desperately to move but the grip was too strong.

Distant chatter filled Rei's head. Nothing she could really make out but it captivated her. The sound numbing out Mina's screams and the boys' worried cries. Whispers, they were really… What were they saying?

She moved on her own despite Mina desperately calling her name and the boys telling her not to get separated from the rest. She walked into the bathroom connected to the study. She was trying to follow the presence but she wasn't focusing hard enough. She was distracted, by her friends, the beauty of this place, and her fascination with both of them.

Rei discovered the first dark room and turned on the light. There was nothing abnormal about the room to her. A bathtub and a small toilet with a door separating it from the mirror and sinks. Rei turned to the mirror abruptly and where her reflection should've been was a woman in a casual dress from the early 1900s. The skirt was loose with a drape like fabric. Despite the fabric's fitted shape over the reflection's waist and chest finally showing skin about an inch above her collar. The dress was the same shade of red like the one that hid under her large leather jacket. The woman's dark hair back in curls and a bun. Her face was as stern as Rei's and her eyes just as dark.

She recognized that woman. She'd seen her before. Was she a great aunt? Was she on her father's side?

It hit Rei quickly.

That was supposed to be her.

The reflection didn't move with Rei. She was primping in the mirror and she surely didn't notice Rei. She dusted a few flyaways from her face and traced her finger around her bright red lips. The reflection nodded to herself and took as deep of a breath as she could in the corset. Rei watched the woman walk to the door before being stopped by another woman. Her dress was much more revealing it exposed her neck and her shoulders. Despite the mute yellow coloring, it seemed like too much. Rei watched the two girls' mouths moved along with the unintelligible conversation. Just as the woman in yellow finally gave into her vanity, and looked at herself while Rei's reflection spoke. The woman in yellow moved as her reflection talked near Rei. She looked to her side and Mina was glaring.

Rei jumped.

"Why did you leave?!" Her loud voice echoed in the empty bathroom. Mina was holding the wrist that was rubbed red and had large purple circles forming around her wrist. "It fucking hurt and you didn't even do anything."

Rei stumbled over her words. "I was looking to see…see who did it to you."

"How did you expect to do that?"  
"I'm not sure but…" Her eyes pointed to the mirror. They looked to the two women, the woman in yellow powdering her nose and mocking Rei's reflection.

"Oh my god." Mina waved at the mirror. "Is that me?" The scene continued playing before them. A wordless play. Her ancient reflection played her part well. Rei's reflection was confiding into Mina's. The more Mina watched the reflection, the more she swore she could hear their words. The two stood lost in the reflection's play for far longer than they should have.


	3. Part 3

"GUYS!" Zander screamed. "GET OVER HERE." The two other groups and the girls (finally awaken from their trance) rushed to Zander's cry where he stood holding the picture frame from earlier but he stood in the parlor this time and had somehow obtained a book in the meantime.

"Jeez, Zander, Where's the fire?" Jay said. Mako, Bunny, and Mamoru laughed dryly which the others gave a confused look. The group gave a motion that they would tell the rest later.

Ami's hands shook as she uttered, "We found this book and…it's so strangely…"

"Familiar." Shin whispered as if he couldn't believe it himself. Mamoru took the book for himself to and flipped to the middle of the book.

"It's dated February of 1905." He continued reading, tracing a finger over the extravagant cursive font. "It sort of strikes me as the way I write in my journal." He paused. "He mentions the woman."

Bunny asked quietly. "What woman?"

"The woman in white." Mamoru had a look of both terror and amazement. "He dreamed of the woman of white and she did the same and it stopped right when he began his…" He snapped the book shut. "Interesting."

"Right. Then there was this." Zander showed them the picture of the two riding men.

Nathan was the first to speak. "That guy looks like Mamoru. In a weird way…not exactly but…enough." Nathan's finger moved to the other man. "And whoa that guy could be Jay's twin."

Jay grabbed the picture. "Nah. He looks like my brother more than me."  
"And your brother looks _so_ different from you." Mina said with an eye roll. "It's hard to believe the two of you are even siblings." She paused. "He looks like you, dumb ass."

"So what does this mean?" Zander snapped.

"We're in Mamoru's old house?" Bunny asked.

"That's foolish." Shin said putting his head in the space between his thumb and index finger.

Rei shrugged. "How is it foolish to think that we've stumbled upon Mamoru's past life?" She was quiet for a moment. "Maybe all of ours. Mina and I saw these two women in the bathroom mirror…"

Mina took this as her cue to begin the explanation. "They looked…like us. I knew they weren't us but they were. They had our style, our body posture, and like the way we talk to each other. I understood them. I knew what was going on. Everything was so, like Shin said, familiar."

"We've been here when it wasn't haunted?" Zander asked, moving the scratched out picture to face the others as he accepted the book back from Mamoru. "No this is just silly. This place has no association with us."

Then Bunny spoke quietly. "Why would someone scratch out my eyes?"

The group felt their hearts skip a beat. They turned slowly to Bunny, afraid to react and desperate for a clue. Mamoru placed a hand on Bunny's shoulder.

"What do you mean your eyes?" Mamoru's voice quaked.

The wife couldn't keep up the illusion anymore. For their memories were coming back quickly. The color and life drained from the house. Furniture wilted to the ground just as the wife had watched it for the past hundred years.

_They remember and now I could hunt them._ _I can make them pay for sealing me away in this house. They had trapped me here. They will pay. They will pay. They're stupid and young. I'll make my castle, no, my prison shake and rattle and swallow them whole. May we all haunt this house together._

The kids spoke too fast for her to hear past her vengeance. Their faces were panicked for a few seconds but their instincts were awaken with this reminder of their lives. Mina and Makoto overlapped their hands and arms to build a blockade from the wife's apparition to Bunny. Mina held her hand in the front and Mako had her hand on her shoulder. Rei pulled her hands together and moved them down her face. Her eyes shut and she concentrated.

Mars could see past the deception now. Her power kindled inside of her. She felt the strength of her psychic abilities approaching a new high as she located the wife's bitter soul.

"I found the spirit." Mars pulled her charms out of the pocket of jacket and threw it in my direction. "She's strong. She made this illusion of how this place used to be. She's very bitter and angry. It's best to stay close."

The group quickly moved closer to one another. They followed the way they used to. The men surrounding who was now Mamoru and the women around Bunny.

The wife moved out of the way of the charms with ease. The white slips of paper disintegrating when reaching the broken wood. Rei bit her lip and closed her eyes to concentrate once more.

_As if it was enough to banish me, didn't they understand how powerful they had let me grow?_ The wife thought bitterly.

"Cover her." Mina demanded and the wall of seven now covered three. "We need to think of something. We can't even see her. She's got the upper hand."

As if it were her cue, the wife appeared as black smoke once more. She whispered again to the men.

Did they trust these girls? Were these girls even who they said they were? She knows witchcraft. She is the one causing such an uproar. That one has always been so quiet, what's she hiding? Her knowledge knows no bounds. That girl is so secretive. Never says a thing about her life or how she's doing. And what about her? She's always been so scatterbrained and now she's calling the shots? You're surely going to die. It's her fault any way. If it weren't for her you wouldn't even be here.

_Kill her. _

_Kill them all. _

_Then you can return to her peaceful lives._

"Don't listen to her! Please, my friends, do not listen to her." Mamoru cried.

A strong wind came through the corridors of the house. Shattering the windows and blowing open all the doors. The ten tried to stand both for their morals and on their own two feet. A shriek erupted from Makoto's mouth as she began running against the wind.

"LEFT!" Rei cried.

Makoto's fist was charging with the electricity of Jupiter. She darted to the left of the room and closed her eyes as she threw her compacted hand. Her knuckles made the first impact on the wife and the wind stopped. The electricity zapped showing the area of the woman.

"What? Since when could you…" Nathan's mouth returned to its agape state. The words seeped into his mind. What were these girls capable of? Had they planned to do this all along and used them as bait?

Makoto laughed as she landed a few more punches into the spirit.

"We've weakened it?" Ami asked. "But…how…I just…I just don't understand." She said finally in defeat.

Mina turned to the other girls. "There's gotta be something else we can do. We can't just keep punching her. That isn't going to solve anything."

"Well it's me she wants, isn't it?" He spoke with his shoulders back and his eyes looking for something in the distance.

"Mamoru, stay out of this." Bunny whispered.

"Yeah, we're not leaving you. No matter how much of a pain you are to me." Mina said with a semi-smile. "We're all getting out of here…alive. I promise that. I just need to figure out how."

Makoto's fist connected to the frail wood and broke through the floor. "Shit! She's on the move."

The four men eyed each other. All trying to decide on their own while simultaneously trying to see what the others had chosen. She was right, after all, these girls had pulled these supernatural powers out of nowhere. Did they even know them?

"You can't leave me." Mamoru whispered to his men. "Don't fall into her trap. Please, don't leave me again." His begging only beating on his eardrums a bit.

"What are you?" Jay cried to the women. The anxiety of the unknown stole away inside of his chest made it hard for him to breathe. His eyes darted to nothing in particular and his face flushing. His throat closing up quickly.

"Humans? Your friends? I'm not exactly sure why you're asking in a time like this." Ami spoke quickly. "If this is about Mako becoming a lightning rod, then I have no idea what we are either."

"What? Not even a fragment of an idea? You're always such a know-it-all, what's the difference today?" Zander hissed to the small genius. His name was the only thing she could muster to say. Her feelings too hurt to say much else.

"You're acting completely different!" Nathan yelled. "Since when are you put together, Mina? Since when does Rei have a hard time concentrating? What the hell is going on?"

"LIKE WE KNOW!" Mako screamed. "IT'S SCARY AND I WISH I WOULD HAVE NEVER COME IF IT MEANT THIS. WE DON'T KNOW. WE DON'T KNOW. WE DON'T KNOW."

_They're lying._

"What's wrong with you guys?" Bunny asked quietly. "Why don't you trust us? Why aren't you helping us?" Rei's eyes shot open.

"We'll bury you in this house if you betray us." Rei growled.

Jay snickered. "I'd like to see you try." His face has changed. He dared to look the soldier in her eyes. Rei could feel his aura's change to something dark.

"Guard her!" Rei shouted as she ran through the wall of people. Her body came as a blow to Jay's. They fell to the floor.

"Can't tell you how long I dreamed of this." He said with a bitter laugh. Then he wrapped his hands around her neck. The soldier in a teenage girl's body fought as he gained the upper hand.

"You're filth." Rei choked.

"No, you are not human." He said in a voice Rei could not identify as his. This was not the boy she teased when he fell asleep in class. _This is not Jay. This is not Jay._ She repeated to herself before she let herself think the last of it. _Jay is gone._ She squeezed her eyes together one last time, before she decided to kill the body that once held her friend.

She placed a hand on his breast and felt his already-still heart. He was gone already. Her eyes opened and the flame of Mars turned him into ash. Mars fell into the ash and coughed as she regain her breath. It hadn't even processed what it would look like to others until Bunny began to sob.

"You…you killed him? With flames from your hands?" Shin said in a dull tone, one that reflected disbelief but never really led for them to believe it.

"He had turned on us." Rei coughed as she struggle to get up from the ash.

Mina ran to her side to help her up. "He tried to kill her."

"He was our friend." Zander's apathetic tone made Ami shake.

Rei spoke hoarsely. "He was already dead. His heart wasn't beating."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Nathan asked.

Hot tears filled the beds of Mamoru's eyes. "We've lost them." Mamoru emphasized. "We've lost them again. The warnings, the dreams, several lives, everything is being undone in one night." The girls looked to them

"Mamoru…" Bunny whispered.

_Do my bidding, I am weak. _

_Attack._

Nathan walked over to the ash where Rei had started to get back on her feet. He looked upon her, his face holding next to no emotion. He reached down, placed a hand on her, and shoved her back down with a handful of ash in her mouth. She choked to death on the ash of her friend. Then turned back to the others. Three men launched themselves to the three remaining girls.

The girls only had reflections of the powers they once had. Vaguely conjuring some sort of static electricity, ice, and light source. The boys only with a hint of the power they used to have and not any of the force they once had. The battle was sloppy, messy, and most of all pitiful.

Zander gripped the young ice warrior and in a panicked move, Ami made an icicle shard. As he tried to gain some sort of grip on her, the icicle jabbed in and out of flesh until she hit a vital. In his final breath, Zander touched the bare skin of Ami's delicate neck and twisted it. The two falling alongside one another.

Mina bit back tears as the light from her finger seared through the boy she adored. His scream curdled her blood as the light shot through him. Despite the immense pain, his grip on her forearms didn't loosen. His hands sloppily reached up to her hair and yanked her hair back until her pretty face rolled to the floor. He and the headless body collapsing to the ground.

Makoto finally had the excuse she had been looking for to beat him up. After all the hell he had put her through, after all the things he had said to both bring and sway her interest in, after all these things considered, she couldn't do more than punch him. Her emotions and his stupidity are what killed him. The electricity building in her system for one final blow came out too early when he grabbed a rod and pierced it through her. As an immediate payback, the electricity came back to his hand and travelled through his veins until it overwhelmed his heart.

In the midst stood the ones they were destined to protect. Both tear-stained and empty by the end. They looked upon one another and looked for some truth. When they decided they couldn't look at the person they were destined to live for, they walked to the kitchen where they had first met his wife. Grabbed two rusty knives and stabbed themselves in the heart. As they bled out, they laid alongside one another. In their final breaths, they reached for the other's hand but never quite felt the other's.


End file.
